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Things I like about the Primary level SAF

Things I like about the Primary level SAF

While I know that it can be frustrating for teachers at times, I am in favour of the form in general. Here are some reasons I feel that the Standard Application Form is a good idea.

  • The 3 x 150 word questions are short and functional. If it’s of primary importance that the BOM want to find out if you’re competent, can follow the school ethos and are happy to teach the school religious ethos - then the SAF does a good job at eliciting that information from you.

  • The universal nature of the form - At…

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Standard Application Form Reviews

Standard Application Form Reviews – The quick and easy way to get a teaching job

As a career coach, I have reviewed hundreds of Standard Application Forms for clients and I see many kinds of errors that can be avoided by having your SAF reviewed by a professional. Things like grammar and spelling mistakes, making your form look drab and dreary leading to troubles scanning the document and not giving yourself credit can impact how an employer sees your form.

The Employer’s View

I have spoken to many interviewers over the years, and they have informed me of the errors they see t…

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Preparing for interviews

Preparing for interviews: Ask yourself ‘What else?’

There is one particular question I love to ask my clients when we are trying to figure out all of their talents and capabilities. That question is; What else? As many of the educators I meet are hardworking, modest professionals who show up and get the job done, they often find it hard to declare what is so great about themselves. Once we start to delve into their capabilities and strengths together, I ask them to delve deeper.

Identifying your strengths

Brainstorming is a great way to start to di…

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Primary Interviews

Primary Interviews - are they really all sewn-up?

Some applicants for teaching jobs can lose faith if they are not being called for interview and may feel that the school has already chosen a teacher for the position before the interviews even take place! For the jobs in August especially - you are in with a real shot when you remain hopeful, positive and optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead! It’s a great ideas to take a look at the situation from a different angle!

Your SAF and CV

If you are applying for tonnes of jobs on Education …

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Teaching Interviews

Teaching Interviews: What if I get the feeling that they didn’t like me?

The job-search can be a very daunting thing.

  • You know that you are up against many other applicants, and you hope to be the one to be selected for that great teaching job.

  • You have all the qualifications you need but feel that you may not have come across as well as you had hoped in your interview.

  • You are already working in the school - but you know that your principal will base the job on your interview performance so you really want to impress.

  • Was there something about the way you came across th…

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ways I can help you land your dream teaching job

4 ways I can help you land your dream teaching job

I am an experienced career coach and I enjoy seeing my clients succeed in their interviews and land that dream teaching job. There are many ways that you can improve your chances of success by working with me. Here are the main 4 ways we can work together to make you stand out from the crowd.

CV Analysis

Curriculum Vitae in Latin, means the course of a life. This document is there to show the course of your education and professional development, along with your character and strengths. There are …

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The Standard Application Form

The Standard Application Form: What do I write in the non-accredited courses section?

The Non-Accredited courses section of the SAF can lead to confusion as to what to write in this section. The short answer; anything from webinars you have attended to summer courses you have availed of in order to increase your skillset. The difference with these qualifications or awards, is that these are extra to the requirements of your teacher-training course and are often undertaken on your own personal time. Courses like these come under the banner of CPD - Continual Professional Developme…

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Completing your CV

Completing your CV & Standard Application Form and answers – should you copy ideas from a friend?

I know, the SAF can be a daunting prospect and you want to make it as impressive as possible in order to stand out from the crowd. You may have a very eloquent friend who always seems to have the right answers. What could be the harm in using some of their wording for your own SAF?

Let’s take a look at some reasons why you may ‘borrow’ information from a friend, Google search or a trusted authority on the matter.

  1. It’s easy - having a starting point means you just need to add a few extra details.

  2. It…

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CV Templates

CV Templates: Making your CV stand out

I receive many CVs every year to review for my clients, and sometimes I see that the important information regarding their teaching experience is not brought to the fore. Your SAF affords you the opportunity to outline your experience with the aid of specific sections and headings, but your CV can let you down if you don’t know where this important information should be. Below are tips on how to avoid this mistakes, and a few more pieces of advice too. Check out my Facebook videos for a run thro…

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Coming across as overconfident in an interview

Coming across as overconfident in an interview

You may, like most people who are eager to make a good impression at an interview, do your best to keep your nerves under control. You want to appear confident and give the very best impression of yourself. Believe it or not, I sometimes hear from interviewers that they did not choose a certain candidate as they came across as over-confident. You may think that this is hard to believe as an interview can be a daunting prospect, but there are cases where an interviewee comes across as a bit too s…

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